Washington underachieved last season and doesn't have nearly the talent it had in 2014. The Huskies are young and in rebuilding mode.

So the timing of this opener at Boise State is not good for the Huskies and former Broncos coach Chris Petersen.

Because of Petersen's return, this matchup takes on added importance and intensity for the Broncos and coach Bryan Harsin, a protegee of Petersen.

Both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks, but the Broncos have the more experience and talent. Given their motivation, strong desire to reach the Group of Five berth in a College Football Playoff b0wl and strong home field advantage, this shapes up as a kill spot of more than two touchdowns for the Broncos.

Boise State returns 19 starters, including its entire offensive line and three defensive line starters that has back Mountain West Conference sack leader Kamalei Correa.

The Broncos desperately want to avoid last season's slow 3-2 start. The Broncos are on a 9-game winning streak since then, including a 38-30 Fiesta Bowl win against Pac-12 South champion Arizona.

Washington's defense was inconsistent last year and that was with three first-round NFL draft picks. On offense, the Huskies are breaking in four new offensive line starters.

The Huskies are at least a year away from contending in the Pac-12.